Breakfast cereals full of sugar

Mark Waghorn

A large bowl of Kellogg’s Frosties can contain NINE TEASPOONS of sugar - the same as a can of fizzy drink, a survey shows.

Almost six in ten breakfast cereals (58 per cent) are too sweet - with a shocking difference in levels found in the SAME brand depending on which country it was bought in.

More than one in two (55 per cent) had half the recommended daily intake for a three-year-old in just one serving.

In the UK the product with the most sugar is Kellogg’s Frosties with a whopping 37g in every 100g - over 9 teaspoons.

That’s over half (58 per cent) the recommended maximum intake for a six year-old in a small 30g serving.

Crunchy Nut Cornflakes and Coco Pops - both made by Kellogg’s - had almost as much with 35g.

Then came Nestle’s Lion (29g), Nesquick and Cookie Crisp (both 25g) and Cheerios Honey (24g) followed by kellogg’s Frozen (21g) - the same as Nestle’s Cheerios Multigrain.

WASH (World Action on Salt and Health) said the UK leads the way with salt reduction but still has a way to go with sugar reduction.

It selected 19 products manufactured by Kellogg’s and Nestle/General Mills from 29 countries for comparison.

The cereals with the lowest sugar included Kellogg’s Corn Flakes with only 8g per 100g.

But only two products were still above the government’s 2017 salt target for breakfast cereals.

These were Kellogg’s Rice Krispies and Kellogg’s Corn Flakes at 1.13g/100g - demonstrating the success of the reduction programme.

But 98 out of 291 (34 per cent) of cereals surveyed were above the 2017 UK salt target for breakfast cereals.

A Kellogg’s spokesperson said: “For more than a decade, Kellogg has been committed to reducing the sugar and salt in our cereals while providing positive nutrition and great taste.

“In the UK alone, we will have removed more than 2,000 tonnes of sugar in our cereals by the end of next year.

“As a trusted provider of high-quality foods that contribute to the health of our consumers, we continue to be committed to offering choice through a diverse range of foods, and by educating consumers about nutrition and a balanced diet.”